The invention relates generally to an adhesive rubber article such as a splice tape or a rubber membrane which has been factory laminated on at least one side to a tape adhesive. More particularly, the present invention relates to an adhesive rubber article of the type having a release liner covering its tacky, adhesive surface to prevent the adhesive rubber article from adhering to various substrates or to itself prior to its intended use, the release liner having been scored, perforated or otherwise cut in a longitudinal direction preferably central to the edges of the article. Specifically, the invention relates to an adhesive rubber article having a visual impression or other guide presented on one or more surfaces of the adhesive rubber article to facilitate the application and placement of the adhesive rubber article on or between various substrates, thereby insuring proper coverage of the substrates so as to provide a watertight seal. Such adhesive rubber articles are particularly useful within the roofing industry for bonding plys of rubber membranes together or for use as flashing.
Polymeric roof sheeting materials such as ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymers (EPDM), butyl rubber (IIR), neoprene, polyvinyl chloride, chlorinated polyethylene, thermoplastic polyolefin rubber and modified bitumen and the like are often used as single-ply roofing membranes for covering flat roofs found on industrial or commercial buildings and the like. Such membranes are typically applied to the roof surface in a vulcanized or cured state and are known to provide outstanding weathering resistance and other excellent properties desired of roofing materials. The use of these polymeric materials as roof sheeting materials are well known in the art and act as effective barriers to prevent the penetration of moisture through the roof being covered. EPDM-based roofing membranes in particular have rapidly been gaining acceptance in the roofing industry.
Adhesive rubber articles, such as, inter alia, splice tapes and rubber membranes which have been factory laminated to compatible tape adhesives, are well known in the roofing industry and are typically used by the roofing membrane installer in conjunction with the polymeric sheeting employed. Splice tapes are typically two-sided adhesives used to bond or to seam the edges of adjacent panels of rubber membranes together to provide a waterproof seal. That is, splice tapes are typically interposed between the overlapped edges of two panels of generally flat sheets of rubber membrane to adhere the two panels together and to form a preferably watertight seam. Illustrative examples of splice tapes are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,242,727, 5,504,136, 5,545,685, 5,563,217, and 5,612,141 the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Rubber membranes which have been factory laminated to tape adhesives generally have only one tacky, adhesive surface exposed and are used typically as flashings or the like to cover, seal and waterproof the areas of a roof generally considered not suitable for covering by the flat sheets of rubber membrane. For example, flashing is commonly used to cover and seal those areas of a roof having an uneven or irregular shape, such as curves along and penetrations through the roof. These laminates are particularly suitable for use as flashings, particularly as base flashings and perimeter flashing such as gravel stops; waterproofing batten strips and other rooftop penetrations.
The rubber membrane/tape adhesive laminates discussed hereinabove are typically produced in long strips of 100 feet or more, and are preferably about 5 to about 12 inches wide. It will be appreciated, however, that flashings or laminates can be produced in the form of smaller strips or patches of membrane, depending upon the desired application. An illustrative example of these laminates are found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,855,172, the disclosure of which is also incorporated herein by reference.
Like the polymeric roof sheeting materials employed to make the rubber roofing membranes discussed hereinabove, the adhesive rubber articles employed in the roofing industry generally comprise any of a number of rubber components, including EPDM, butyl-based rubbers, neoprene rubber, and the like, as well as blends thereof. Unlike the rubber membranes however, the adhesive rubber articles include at least one tacky, adhesive surface for adhering to at least one substrate.
To prevent the adhesive rubber article from adhering to undesired substrates or to itself prior to its intended use, it is well known in the art and necessary to apply a release liner over the tacky adhesive surface(s) of the article. Release liners are also well known in the art to prevent unwanted adhesion and are commonly made of paper having a special coating, typically made from silicone, on at least one surface thereof which engages the tacky adhesive surface of the article. The special coating, which is also well known in the art, prevents the adhesive surface of the article from permanently adhering to the paper. Thus, the adhesive rubber article can be selectively removed from the specially coated paper when desired, typically just prior to application of the adhesive rubber article on the substrate(s).
It will be appreciated that other materials, such as plastics, can be used as an alternative to the specially coated paper release liner. Preferred plastic materials for this purpose include various polyolefins such as polyethylene.
Current adhesive rubber articles of the type described hereinabove use release liners which are solid and continuous over the entire tacky surface of the article. While such release liners are highly effective in preventing unwanted adhesion to undesirable substrates, it is oftentimes difficult for roofing installers to remove such release liners while in the field, particularly if the installer does not have the proper tools or sufficiently long fingernails to separate the release liner from the adhesive rubber article.
In addition, once the release liner is removed, the roofing installer must rely on his sight and his hand and eye coordination to align the adhesive rubber article. This sometimes results in the adhesive rubber article being applied off center or at an angle which, while sufficiently covering one part of a seam, does not sufficiently cover another part thereof. The adhesive article might also be bridged or not tight with the substrate. Due to the permanency of the tape adhesives, it is oftentimes required that the installer cut the adhesive rubber article and realign another piece of the adhesive rubber article over that portion of a seam which was not sufficiently covered by the first piece of adhesive.
In addition, there are situations where the tape laminate must cover two planesxe2x80x94a flat (roof) plane, and a vertical (curb) plane. In these situations it is often difficult to align and place the laminate once the total release paper has been removed, exposing the tacky surface of the tape adhesive.
Thus, the need exists for means by which the installer can easily align the adhesive rubber articles during application of the articles to the desired substrates.
While attempts have been made heretofore by roofing component manufacturers to facilitate the ease with which a roofing installer in the field can cover a roof by providing more and more xe2x80x9call-in-onexe2x80x9d products, the art has not provided a facile means to facilitate the application and placement of adhesive rubber articles on or between particular substrates, thereby insuring proper coverage of the substrate so as to provide a watertight seal.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an adhesive rubber article which facilitates application and placement of the article itself on substrates being covered or connected, particularly on a roof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an adhesive rubber article, as above, which includes a release liner having portions which are easily removed, when desired, from the tacky adhesive surface(s) of the adhesive rubber article.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an adhesive rubber article, as above, which includes means for aligning the article during application of the article to the desired substrate(s) being covered or connected.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an adhesive rubber article, as above, which insures proper coverage of two or more substrates being covered or connected by insuring the proper amount of the article is applied to each substrate being covered or connected.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a method, as above, for manufacturing an adhesive rubber article of the type having a release liner, the article further including means for aligning the article over the substrates being covered or connected.
At least one or more of the foregoing objects, together with the advantages thereof over the known art relating to adhesive rubber articles such as splice tapes, rubber membrane/tape adhesive laminates, or flashings, which shall become apparent from the specification which follows, are accomplished by the invention as hereinafter described and claimed.
In general, the present invention provides an adhesive rubber article having at least one tacky surface for adhering to at least one substrate, the article comprising a guide presented on the at least one tacky surface for facilitating the alignment and application of the adhesive rubber article on the at least one substrate.
The present invention also provides an adhesive rubber article having at least one tacky surface for adhering to at least one substrate, the article comprising a guide presented on a surface opposite the at least one tacky surface for facilitating the alignment and application of the adhesive rubber article on the at least one substrate.
Other aspects and object of the present invention may be achieved by a release liner, in combination with an adhesive rubber article having at least one tacky surface for adhering to at least one substrate, the release liner being scored and carried by the adhesive rubber article and selectively removable therefrom.
The present invention also includes a method for applying an adhesive rubber article over a seam formed by at least two substrates, the adhesive rubber article having two surfaces, at least one of which is tacky and is capable of being adherred to said substrates and which is capable of engaging a scored release liner, comprising: removing at least a portion of the release liner from the adhesive rubber article; aligning a guide presented on one of the two surfaces with the seam formed by the substrates; and applying the adhesive rubber article to the substrates.